Mark 13:24-27 "The Olivet Discourse: The Second Coming"

Good Morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!

Isn’t that exciting about Every Word Bremen! I’ve told Bern he reminds me of Caleb in Joshua 14… “Give me this mountain!”

Thank you Pastor Dave for your testimony and message yesterday at our Men’s breakfast!

You and Bern are good examples for us all… slaying giants in an older season!

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Well, let’s open our Bibles to Mark 13. Mark 13:24-27 today!

Mark 13 is Jesus’ Olivet Discourse… a private teaching to four of His disciples from the Mount of Olives…

Because of their question, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

This question leads Jesus to expound on End Times… specifically the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble”, “Daniel’s 70th Week”, or “The Tribulation.”

All Synonymous for that future 7-Year time after the rapture of the church when God awakens Israel & pours out judgment on unsaved mankind…

Some of mankind responds through hard-heartedness… shaking their fist at God, cursing His name, and remaining unrepentant.

While a great multitude of people from every nation, tribe, tongue, and people turn to God… and become saved believers.

We already covered three messages on the Olivet Discourse… you can find them on our app or website…

We’ve looked at general signs of the tribulation… including the great deception that will be brought forth by Antichrist…

Who will sign a 7-year treaty with Israel… enter the land as if he’s their savior… but he desecrates their temple at the mid-point of the tribulation… and then persecute the Jews.

Which leads to the final 3.5 years… which Jesus described as “… great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

A time that becomes so bad that Jesus said unless there was a limit to this time… 3.5 years… ‘no flesh would saved.’

No person would physically survive the tribulation if it went on without end.

At the end of that section Jesus said, “But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.”

The Olivet Discourse is a divine heads-ups… a teaching to prepare the hearts of His people…

For, those in the Tribulation to discern the times…

Much like Daniel did in Babylon… reading the scroll of Jeremiah to determine their years of captivity.

And, for Christians in every generation… to comfort and to bless…

To inspire a sense of urgency… to share our testimony and the Gospel…

And, to spur on how we live now… knowing His return could be imminent.

And, His prophetic word can be trusted…

Since about 50% of biblical prophecy has already been literally fulfilled.

We can trust the rest will be literally fulfilled as well.

Keep this in mind as we enter into our teaching today on “The Second Coming”… our sermon title for today.

Which is that glorious time at the end of the Tribulation… when Jesus returns as the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS…

And, we will be right there with Him.

Let’s pray!

In reverence for God’s word, please stand.

Mark 13:24-27 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.”

Praise God for His word! Please be seated!

Just four verses today, but there’s a lot to be said about these verses. It’s a huge event! It’s a glorious event!

And, it’s spoken of often in the OT and the NT… and we are going to look at various cross references today… to help us grasp the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

If you were here last week… the teaching was a bit like drinking from a fire hose… today will be the same… so get your bibs on.

And soak in this teaching… and these verses depicting our Lord’s Second Coming.

This is the moment that Jews throughout the ages longed for…

The awaited time when Messiah returns to establish His kingdom as the conquering King… to usher in the Millennium kingdom.

With anticipation, in Acts 1:6-7, Jesus’ own disciples ask, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.”

Now we know when that time will be… right?

Easy… at the end of the 7-year Tribulation…

Any of you who were worried your Pastor was going to date set… take a breath… not this guy…

In just a few more verses… Mark 13:32… Jesus says, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.”

We don’t know when Jesus is going to close out the church age… rapture the church… and begin the Tribulation…

So, His advice to the Jews of the Tribulation is relevant for us as well… “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.”

Take heed, watch… meaning ‘Beware’ or ‘Be on guard’… know the times and seasons in which we live…

Some of you are really good at this…

If you don’t know how to “Take heed” to what is happening in the time we live…

Talk to people at church… they know a lot of good resources…

A couple weeks ago… I mentioned Not By Works Ministries. Dr. J.B. Hixson… that’s a good resource.

Another good resource…

Behold Israel… the ministry of Amir Tsarfati…

A ministry our church financially supports… to specifically support a ministry in Israel…

Amir puts out lot’s of late breaking information about Israel…

Israel is called the “apple of His eye” in scripture… and if God’s eye is on Israel… we should take heed and watch what is happening in the Middle East as well.

And pray… we don’t know when the end will be, so we battle with our prayers… we intercede to God… on behalf of fellow man…

We stay in touch with and in tune with His will and His word… and we pray… remaining connected to the source.

Asking, seeking, knocking… watching and working until He comes.

His imminent return could happen at any moment… there are no additional prophetic events that must happen before Jesus ends these last days of the church age… so be busy about the Father’s business.

When Matthew wrote the Olivet Discourse, he wrote more then Mark or Luke… and he began this same segment of scripture about Jesus’ the second coming… first with these words…

Matt 24:27-28 “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

Let’s break this down… first let’s talk about lightning… and then the eagles and carcasses…

When lightning flashes… what happens?

The whole sky lights up.

Jesus’ return will be visible to the whole world. From east to west.

When Jesus ascended up to heaven… Jesus’ disciples watched Him ascend into heaven… it was visible and observable… He didn’t just vanish… and this was purposeful because look at what a couple angels tell the disciples…

Let’s read that scene in Acts 1:9 -11 “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

Jesus will return in like manner to how He departed…

He departed physically and visibly… so He will return in like manner.

He left from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:12), and He will come again at the Mount of Olives (Zech 14:4).

He left in the presence of His disciples and He will return in the presence of His disciples.

He left in the clouds and will return in the clouds… suggestive of the cloud of glory (called the Shekinah)… which is associated with the presence of God.

Further details are found in Rev 1:7 which declares, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”

Christ’s Second coming will be visible to the entire earth… every eye will see Him… Jew and Gentile alike… believers and unbelievers… the entire world will see Him return…

Just like how anyone in a storm can see lightning if they look at the sky… because lightning brightens the entire sky…

And, I love that picture because it’s not just visual… there’s a feeling that accompanies lightning…

It’s fascinating, but you also should respect it’s power…

You don’t want to tempt lightning by running around a field holding a big metal rod.

And, when Jesus returns… people will know who is God and who is not… and they can defy Him all they like…

But, my Bible says… all the world will bow before Him acknowledging His sovereignty…

Isa 45:23 “I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.”

Phil 2:10-11 “… that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

And, so when Jesus returns… it will be a highly visible and highly powerful experience…

Let’s pull up that Rev 1:7 cross reference again… “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”

Even they who pierced Him… which obviously cannot be talking about those who performed the crucified Jesus, because they will have been 2,000+ years dead already…

“They who pierced Him” refers to those responsible His crucifixion… those who cried out “Crucify Him, crucify Him...”

That’s Israel nationally…

And, this difficulty is solved by looking at Zech 12:10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem...”

God will pour out His Spirit on Israel, and there will be at least 144,000 Jews from the Twelve Tribes of Israel sealed with the Spirit of God…

And, they will mourn and grieve realizing they crucified their Messiah.

But, it won’t only be the Jews mourning… also Rev 1:7 said, “… all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.”

Matt 24:30 also says this “… all the tribes of the earth will mourn...” when they see Jesus coming on the clouds with power and great glory.

Like lightning… power and great glory.

And, why will all tribes mourn? The Jews mourn because they are looking on their Messiah whom they pierced.

They’re experiencing major sorrow knowing who bad of a mistake their nation made in crucifying the Lord.

But, the rest of the world… the unbelieving world will mourn for a different reason…

They know their time is up… they backed the wrong player… they back the Anti-Christ… they took the mark of the beast… they sided with evil…

And, now that the KING of kings and LORD of lords has returned… they mourn because judgment is upon them for their evil.

And, just like how lightning flashes quickly… Jesus’ return will bring swift judgment.

Rev 17 & 18 depicts the fall of Babylon… the false religious system of Anti-Christ and the economic system of his one-world government…

And, with Babylon’s fall… the people of the earth mourn…

Rev 18:9-10 “The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, [Babylon] when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’”

The merchants of Babylon who sold all kinds of goods… including “bodies and souls of men...”

Which is pure evil…

They will weep and wail over Babylon’s desolation… because their idol of wealth and luxury is torn down.

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ will be a time of vast mixed emotions…

Saved Jews will mourn… and for all the right reasons. They believe… and receive Jesus… and there’s is a lament of repentance.

For the unbelieving world… theirs is a lament because they don’t want Jesus… they don’t want their sin and darkness to end…

They are comfortable living how they want to live… getting fat and happy… even off other people’s misery.

The experience is the same… Jesus comes again… visible like lightning… but the response is vastly different.

Depending on the heart of the person and where they are with Jesus.

Same Jesus… different response.

Even today… if you’re a Christian in the world… to some people, you are well received… and others want nothing to do with you because of your connection to Jesus…

Paul wrote in 2 Cor 2:15-16 “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.”

As a Christian today… your very life carries the fragrance of Christ… when your life reflects Jesus… it’s pleasing and life giving to those who receive Jesus Christ…

But, to those who reject Jesus… when your life diffuses the knowledge of God… through the gospel of Christ… it’s the stench of death to those who reject Christ.

And, that’s not your fault… it’s how people respond to Jesus.

It’s been that way since the beginning of time… it’s that way now… and it will be that way until the end of the millennial reign of Christ…

And, I just want to encourage you… you’re called to be faithful to what Jesus told us to do… which is the Great Commission… to make disciples of all nations… by going, baptizing and teaching…

You’re called to be salt and light in the world… and HOW the world responds is not on you.

You’re called to BE the fragrance of Christ… and the ingredients are a mix of grace and truth…

TOO many Christians get caught up in worrying whether or not their fragrance will be received… that they change the blend…

And, that’s the fragrance of something else…

All grace and no truth is diluted and compromised to the point that there is barely a fragrance at all.

And, this is very tolerant to the world because it’s so watered down…

If people who are living in sin are not rejecting you… you might be light on truth.

Share truth… as loving and graceful as you can, but don’t compromise the truth of the word... to be accepted by the world.

That’s not the fragrance of Christ.

Neither is… all truth and no grace… that fragrance is overpowering and offensive.

If you’ve ever smelled someone who wears too much cologne or perfume it’s really difficult to even be in the same room with them.

People shouldn’t feel like they can’t breath around you because you’re always dropping the hammer…

The fragrance of Christ is a certain blend… it’s grace and truth…

And, in this God is just.

God has done everything He would to offer an olive branch to the world… He sent His own Son to die to pay for OUR sins…

And, yet today… and when Jesus comes again… there will be those who reject Him.

Before moving on… we looked at Matt 24… where Jesus said the coming of the Son of Man will be like lightning flashing from the east to the west…

And, let’s not forget that other phrase Matt 24:28 “For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

This is a verse that has baffled scholars…

And, they apply this verse to the state of the world just before His coming, His perfect timing in coming back, and what Jesus will do immediately upon His return.

And, some of the interpretations are reaching.

I was humored by Pastor Paul Mowery from Fort Wayne… in his Olivet Discourse sermon, he said, “I have no idea what this verse means. Go to another church to find out.”

Paul’s a riot.

J.B. Hixson in interpreting this verse said, the simple truth is often the best truth, and in the context of the Son of Man coming back…

This verse quite simple. If you looked up in the sky and saw eagles or vultures circling… how would you interpret that?

Something is dead… it’s obvious that they have their eyes on a carcass, and they are circling in.

And, the coming of Jesus will be just the same… it will be an obvious sign for the whole world.

It won’t be a secret… or a mystery…

So, I hope you get the picture… Jesus’ return will be like lightning in the sky… like eagles circling a carcass… every eye will see Him…

And, they will mourn for various reasons…

Now… Mark picks up in vv 24-25 “But in those days, after that tribulation, [Matthew writes “Immediately after the tribulation of those days’] the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

After the 7 year tribulation, Jesus will return and there will be major celestial disturbances…

And, this is important… why? Because of prophecy… because it was foretold.

There’s a high degree of confidence that we can have in the Bible because of prophecy… like I said in my introduction…

About 50% of biblical prophecy has already been literally fulfilled.

Thus, we can trust the rest of prophecy will also be literally fulfilled…just as it is written.

When Paul prophetically looks forward to the coming of the Lord in the rapture, Paul instructs, “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

And, for those who get saved during the tribulation… who are studying scripture… at the end of the 7-year Tribulation… when Jesus is returning and everything goes dark… and there are celestial disturbances…

How comforting would it be to be able to say… “It’s ok… this is exactly what we read in the Bible…”

Even Jews… hopefully they would be reading the NT by this time, but even if not…

Jesus’ description of His coming seems to come from what is found in the OT…

Isa 13:10 speaking about the Day of the LORD, “For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine.”

Isaiah 34:4 “All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; All their host shall fall down As the leaf falls from the vine, And as fruit falling from a fig tree.”

There are similar proclamations in Ezk 32:7-9; Joel 2:30-31, Amos 8:9-10 and Zeph 1:14-15.

All of this has been foretold.

In Luke’s account… Luke 21:25-26 adds this detail to when Jesus returns… after focusing on the celestial… he also zooms in on the terrestrial “...and on the earth distress of nations [Ethnos… Gentiles], with perplexity [meaning “doubt” or “uncertainty”], the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

Knowing Jesus is returning… and all the accompanying signs in heaven… the people of the earth are anguished… and absolutely terrified… because they know the God whom they have been fighting against and rejecting is real… and returning…

And even today… be it the atheist… or the agnostic… or any soil except the good soil…

When a person has an experience beyond the natural that defies every justification they have to deny God… it rocks them to the core…

The wise ones repent and turn to God.

But there are those who dig their heels in and refuse to surrender to Him.

We are fortunate to live in an age of Grace… where there is still time to turn to God… no matter what moral infractions we may have committed…

If you haven’t turned to Jesus… there is still time for you… or for your loved ones (make sure you are praying for them)…

Because scripture says, “The Lord is… longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Pet 3:9)

He wants us all to turn to Him…

And, it’s the goodness of God that leads to repentance.

His patience… His tolerance… His goodness and love… people turn to Him because of who He is.

Make sure your loved ones know… there is nothing that can keep them from relationship with God… except for rejecting Jesus’ free gift of salvation.

And, we live in a time where there is a window NOW where people can receive Jesus…

A time is coming when that door will close.

And, we are reading of that time in the Olivet Discourse.

And, when unbelievers of the earth realize they were wrong about Jesus… and still won’t repent…

As Luke said, “… men’s hearts will fail them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth...”

And you just have to imagine the prince of the power of the air… Satan himself, his unholy trinity, and the demons that have plagued mankind… will also be shaken in this moment… knowing their end draws neigh as well.

All the way back in Gen 3:15, Satan was cursed… and God told him…

The Seed of the woman… ultimately pointing to Jesus Christ would ‘bruise or crush his head’… stripping his authority… and delivering a fatal blow…

Paul wrote, “The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.” Rom 16:20

Satan has known that he will lose in the end since the beginning… and like a dog trapped in the corner… or like a team down by one in the final minutes of a game… in these last days he is getting vicious.

And, he will get worse in the end times.

We live in the last days… which encompasses all of the Church Age to the Rapture of the Church.

From Acts 2 at Pentecost… to 1 Thes 4 the Rapture…

We see the posturing of Satan, but his Antichrist has not yet been revealed…

At that time, when Antichrist is revealed… things get exponentially worse… his revelation ushers in the Tribulation… which ushers in the End Times…

The time from the Tribulation… through the Millennium… up until the Great White Throne Judgment.

The enemy knows the time in which we live… and the foundations for the Antichrist are being laid…

It’s not just something we sense and feel… it’s observable…

It’s not unfathomable to see how a one world government could be a reality… the European Union could easily morph into the Revived Roman Empire…

The thought of this government exerting control over the world…

World governments just went through a test run of controlling the masses during Covid season.

The mark of the beast… something literally marked on the right head or forehead… in worship of Antichrist… and an allowance to buy or sell…

And, today there are chip technologies and digital currencies…

We don’t even have to imagine how plausible it would be to roll out the mark of the beast.

Rev 11 speaks about Two Witnesses of God who are killed by Satan… in Jerusalem… but the WHOLE WORLD will see their dead bodies.

Television was invented in 1927… news broadcasting started in 1940…

The personal computer in 1974…

Internet was birthed in 1983… the world wide web in 1991… the smart phone in 1992… social media in 1997…

And, do we even have to wonder HOW the WHOLE WORLD will see the dead bodies of the two witnesses?

We don’t. If you lived in the early 1900’s or earlier… you had to imagine and exercise great faith to believe this.

We don’t have to imagine Israel being a nation that Antichrist will broker peace with…

From 70 A.D. to 1948… for 1878 years people had to imagine what role Jews had in End Times… because there was no Israel…

We not only don’t have to imagine it… Israel is actively warring with nations around her…

And, the Temple Institute in Jerusalem is ready to go… ready to build the third temple…

They even have 5 red heifers now… and news networks are talking about their plans to begin sacrifice again even as early as Spring… this year.

In the Olivet Discourse… Jesus said the Tribulation will be the “beginnings of sorrows” … pain as a woman in childbirth…

We look around and it seems like the pregnancy has begun… things have lined up…

And, this is the urgency of the time in which we live… WE are not the ones backed in the corner… remember that…

WE are not the ones prophesied for eternity in the Lake of Fire… Satan… Antichrist… the False Prophet… and anyone led astray by them… that their eternal destination…

Thus the urgency… to share the Gospel…

Do you know how? If you don’t… let’s talk about that. Let’s train you… let’s resource you.

Because you never know… I shared the Gospel on Monday… with a foreign exchange student asking if Jayce and Renee were “saved”… when she meant to say “safe”… because they had a car accident.

You never know HOW God is going to open the door.

And when He does… are you ready to walk through it…

Do you know how to share the Gospel? You should know.

I imagine we have a new discipleship topic…

Because the time is coming when we will be out of here… then Antichrist will be revealed… and a period of intense suffering will begin… like the sharp pains of contractions when a mother is full term…

Growing in frequency and intensity… until childbirth…

It will become so bad during the tribulation…

That Jesus said, “… unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved...”

No flesh would survive unless that time was limited… from the mid-point of the Tribulation until Jesus’ return… 3.5. years.

And, you have the key… NOW… where people never have to experience that Great Tribulation.

Share the Gospel… Get them saved.

And, then… as we continue in Mark… they will have a different vantage point… they won’t be looking up to see Jesus… they will be following Him out of heaven on horses…

Mark 13, V26 displays this glorious moment by saying… “Then [or “at that time’] they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.”

To fully appreciate this scene… turn to Rev 19.

Rev 19:11-16 is a most powerful passage and vividly depicts the Second Coming. Rev 19:11-16, “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True [Jesus], and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven [The raptured church… you and I… and all saved believers of the Church Age], clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS”

The enemies of the Lord have gathered at Megiddo… in defiance of Him… to make war with Him… but there will be no battle… only decisive and swift judgment.

The Antichrist and False Prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire… and the king of the earth and their innumerable army are killed with the sword with proceeded out of the mouth of Jesus.

He just speaks the word and they are done. You cannot fight against God and prevail.

Jude 14-15 (one chapter) reads, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints [or holy ones… an innumerable company of angels when compared to Deut 33:2, Dan 7:10, Heb 12:22], 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

We are not backed in a corner… we stand with the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS…

“The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” (Psalm 1)

We read earlier how the unbelieving nations will mourn when Jesus returns.

He’s not just “gentle Jesus meek and mild.”

He’s a KING… He’s over all… and in complete righteousness, He will exercise true justice over the ungodly.

It will be swift and decisive… there will be no battle.

He will come with “great power and glory.”

Mal 3:2 declares, “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap.”

He will purify evil out of Israel… and no wicked one will stand.

Mal 4:1 reads, “For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up...”

When He comes He will destroy the wicked.

This is why Jesus was such a stumbling block in His first coming… the Jews were expecting a conquering King…

I love that they looked to these verses, but they missed the suffering servant of the first coming.

But, there are so many verses in the OT that reference Messiah coming as the conquering King.

Isa 66:15; Zeph 3:8; Isa. 2:12; Joel 3:11–16; Amos 5:18–21; Zech 1:14–18.

So many cross references… I hope you took notes today.

There’s a quiz next week… open book, but good notes help.

The Second Coming of Jesus will be a time that will usher in His long awaited Kingdom Age… He will come with power and glory…

And, the nations will mourn because they chose darkness over light…

Don’t choose wrong… eternity is not a game you want to gamble on.

Life if not “have it your way.”

There IS a GOD… He created Heaven and Earth… and He wants eternity WITH you…

But, He can’t fellowship with sin… so He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for sin…

And we just need to receive His free gift of salvation in faith.

At the end of our service today… we are going to have our Elders and prayer team come up… and if you’ve never accepted Jesus as your King and Lord… today can be the day.

Final verse in Mark for today… V27 “And then He will send His angels [Matthew adds “with a great sound of a trumpet.”], and gather together His elect from the four winds, [from all directions] from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.”

I find it difficult to imagine what this will be like… Jesus sending angels… many angels… and the sound…

A great trumpet… Isa 27:13 reads, “So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown...”

“Trumpet” in Hebrew is shophar… a ram’s horn. The sound of Great Shofar…

And, no doubt this will be a moment of praise and adoration to God… just like when the 7th trumpet is blown in Rev 11.

And, God will gather His faithful elect… certainly faithful Jews… but elect could also include Gentile believers… and possibly even a resurrection of the dead of old.

Dan 12:2, in context of the end of the tribulation, states, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

At the end of the Tribulation… Dan 12:11-12 speaks about an extra 75 days between the Tribulation and the Millennial Reign of Christ…

If you’ve never read about those 75 days… check it out at the very end of the Book of Daniel.

Those are the little details… the nuggets in the Bible that I love finding.

And, it’s plausible that at this time… God will gather all of His elect… and OT Jews… will stand before Jesus…

And, the nations of Gentiles will also stand before Jesus for the Sheep/Goat Judgment… written of in Matt 25.

Jesus’ evaluation of all those who will or will not enter His Millennial Kingdom.

Those who had faith in Messiah… enter to everlasting life… and those who were unbelieving to everlasting contempt.

The Bible is very consistent on this point… salvation comes by faith in Messiah.

Worship Team please come.

In Luke’s account, our gospel writer closes this section of the Olivet Discourse with this note…

Luke 21:28 “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

Clearly a note for those on the earth who survived the Tribulation…

Looking up… the church will be looking down… riding horses… coming from heaven… following Jesus on the clouds…

But, for those on the earth… they look up…

They look for Jesus… because IN HIM… is their redemption…

Redemption by def. is “a release procured by the payment of a ransom.”

The coming King will bring safety to His followers… as He crushes His enemies, and ushers in His kingdom.

Many will mourn, BUT The faithful will rejoice…

The Second Coming of Christ… it will be glorious… definitely not a mystery.

Read ahead… next week we continue in the Olivet Discourse as Jesus begins sharing Parables about that time.

Let’s Pray!

Our Elders and Prayer team are coming to the front and sides if you need prayer today.

Come get saved, if you’re not already… trust His prophetic word.

A key take away for all you believers is to faithfully be the “fragrance of Christ”…

Take a walk with that this week… is your aroma both life giving and the scent of death? Do you have the right mix of grace and truth?

Can you share the Gospel when called to? Can we help you? We’re here for you.

In Num 6… The LORD instructed Moses how to bless the children of Israel… and I say this to you now…

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’

God bless you in this week ahead!